Mexican Drug Cartel Warns of Coming Violence

On May 8, 2010, a Spanish-language flayer was placed on a vehicle in Brownsville, Texas, warning that the upcoming weekend of May 15-17, 2010, would be one of the “most violent weekends in all of Mexican history” as members of an unidentified drug trafficking organization allegedly plan to battle an unspecified rival criminal organization.

The message advises the public to remain calm, be cautious and most notably, not to wear dark colors. The message claims that gunmen will be wearing black during the weekend for identification purposes; the wearing of black or dark colors with orange lettering supports recent intelligence which has been circulating in association with the Gulf Cartel.

Narco-banners and printed fliers have long been used in Mexico by cartels to relay messages to rivals, the government, issue warnings and garner public support. Mexican cartels have also been known to use such messages for psychological operations, often warning of events that do not materialize.

At this time the validity of the threat mentioned in the flayer is unknown. However, due to the increase of threats and violence along the border, it should still serve as a precautionary measure to law enforcement along the Mexico-Texas border. All officers are highly encouraged to utilize extreme caution when encountering possible cartel members and are reminded to remain vigilant of their surroundings whether on or off duty.